Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Jaden Schwartz played for the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. In 46 games for the Hounds, Schwartz scored 34 goals and added 42 assists for 76 points.

2009-10: Rookie with the USHL's Tri-City Storm. In 60 games for the Storm, Schwartz scored 33 goals and added 50 assists for 83 points, making him the leading scorer in the USHL for 2009-10. He was named the USHL's Forward of the Year. Participated in the 2010 USHL All-Star Game.

2010-11: Schwartz posted 47 points in 30 games for Colorado College as a freshman – missing time after breaking his ankle while playing for Canada at the 2011 U20 World Junior Championship tournament. Schwartz scored 17 goals with 20 assists and was -3 with 22 PMs; earning WCHA Third Team and All-Rookie honors. The Tigers finished sixth in the WCHA but earned an NCAA berth after reaching the WCHA tournament semifinals. Schwartz scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was -1 in two games for Canada before suffering his ankle injury. Canada won a silver medal at the tournament.

2011-12: Jaden Schwartz made his NHL debut in March, joining the Blues following his sophomore season at Colorado College. His time with the Blues capped an eventful season that included serving as captain for Canada at the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship. In seven games with the Blues he scored 2 goals with 1 assist and was plus-one. Schwartz was with the team during the playoffs but did not see any game action. Playing alongside his older brother Rylan Schwartz at Colorado College, he was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 15 goals and 26 assists in 30 games and was plus-six with 18 penalty minutes. The Tigers finished fifth in the WCHA. Schwartz scored 2 goals with 3 assists and was plus-two in six games at the WJC for bronze medal-winning Canada.

2012-13: Over-shadowed by the early exploits of rookie teammate Vladimir Tarasenko, Schwartz put together a solid first season in a lower line role with the Blues. Playing in 45 of 48 games for St. Louis, he scored 7 goals with 6 assists and was -4 with 14 penalty minutes. In the six-game first round playoff series with defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles he had 1 assist and was +1 with 2 penalty minutes; averaging 16 minutes of ice time. Schwartz was one of the top scorers for Blues AHL affiliate Peoria during the lockout. In 33 games with the Rivermen he scored 9 goals with 19 assists and was -14 with 14 penalty minutes.

Talent Analysis

Schwartz has excellent skating speed and acceleration along with solid balance which allows him to make plays at high speed. The versatile winger can play all three forward positions as well as on both specialty team units. The 20-year-old has a high hockey IQ, good vision of the ice and can be a playmaker. He needs to work on his defensive zone positioning, add size to play in the corners and strengthen his shot to play at the NHL level. The first round selection projects as a top six forward but could be the first line scorer the Blues are lacking.

Future

Schwartz is a tremendous two-way talent with great offensive upside. He had a solid rookie campaign, splitting time between the Rivermen and Blues due to the lockout. He has great leadership qualities and can play both ends of the ice very well. He seems to be a mainstay for the Blues going forward, so look for him to make an impact in 2013-14.

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Photo: Winger Dmitrij Jaskin is part of a new class of prospects skating with the Blues’ new AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves (courtesy of Mark Buckner/NHLI via Getty Images)

The St. Louis Blues minor league team suffered drastically from a shortage of high-end talent last season. On the blue line, the Peoria Rivermen, lacked significant offensive production, putting immense pressure on the forwards.

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Photo: Cape Breton winger William Carrier is part of a Blues CHL pool that was replenished at the 2013 NHL Draft (courtesy of Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Blues have had tremendous success in finding talented prospects at all levels of hockey. Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz are two great examples of the Blues’ ability to locate talent at different in different parts of the world.

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Photo: Mikhail Grigorenko, Buffalo’s 12th overall pick in 2012, will look to bounce back in 2013-14 from an up-and-down rookie season split between the Sabres and the Quebec Remparts (courtesy of Jeremy McKnight/Icon SMI)

The Fall edition of the Hockey's Future ranking of the Top 50 NHL prospects continues with the prospects ranked 21-30.

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Photo: Jaden Schwartz, selected 14th overall in 2010, skated in 45 regular season and six playoff games for the St. Louis Blues in 2012-13 (courtesy of Keith Gillett/Icon SMI)

Prior to the trade deadline, the St. Louis Blues tried to acquire enough talent to make a push for the Stanley Cup. While the additions of Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold helped solidify the depth and experience of their blue line, they were unsuccessful in making a run for a championship and lost both young talent and draft picks in the process. In the Bouwmeester deal, the Blues gave up Mark Cundari, Reto Berra, and a conditional first round draft pick, which would be exercised if the Blues made the playoffs. The Blues did make the playoffs and were forced to give up their 2013 first round draft pick to the Calgary Flames.